It is 100 days to the Annual National Assessments (ANA) which is scheduled to be written from 18 – 21 September 2012. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has prioritised ANA, which put the literacy and numeracy skills of the country's young learners to the test, as a pivotal mechanism for monitoring and tracking achievement of our goals as set in the DBE Action Plan.
This year, ANA will be written by more than 7 million learners in Grades 1 to 6 and Grade 9 to assess learners Language as well as Mathematics skills. The purpose of the assessments is to establish an objective national benchmark by which to measure literacy and numeracy achievement levels. This is done so that improvement can be accurately assessed and appropriate intervention designed and implemented where it is needed.
The ANA will not be used for promotion to the next grade, but as a guide for teachers to identify challenges in curriculum coverage and to inform their lessons in the classroom. Teachers will mark these assessments according to instructions provided by the department, and parents will receive ANA results before the end of October.
The school governing body (SGB) will receive, at the beginning of each year, a report from the district office. This report will enable schools to compare its ANA results to those of other schools in the district.
The Department of Basic Education appeals to parents and guardians to encourage their children rather than put any pressure on them. Parents should build up their children’s confidence in their own abilities and make sure that their children understand that these are not examinations in which they can pass or fail, but rather tests to find out if they have any problems with literacy and numeracy while they are still in primary school.
The Department has also ensured that teachers are able to adequately prepare for this year's assessments. The following resources are available on the Department of Basic Education (DBE) website, www.education.gov.za
- A qualitative report on what learners were not able to do in ANA 2011 and how these can be improved.
- Three sets of test exemplars which illustrate the scope, depth and testing techniques used in ANA tests for each grade.
- A complete exemplar test of Mathematics and Language for each grade.
- ANA Guidelines which indicate the expected curriculum coverage at the time of ANA administration which will be at the end of the third quarter of the school year. (18 -21 September 2012)
Further information on this year's ANA can be found on the DBE website (www.education.gov.za) where a dedicated section has been set up to provide pertinent information around the 2012 ANA.
Enquiries:
Panyaza Lesufi
Cell: 083 383 4517
Hope Mokgatlhe
Cell: 071 680 6849
